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Examining urban growth in metropolitan areas from both morphological and functional perspectives is paramount for sustainable development in developing and developed countries. As a collaborative and critical approach, polycentrism operates concurrently at local, regional, and national levels. However, the decentralized morphologies and functional attributes of polycentric urban spaces are yet to be adequately explored, despite their significant influence on sustainable urban planning and management. Colombo, the only metropolitan area in Sri Lanka, has experienced considerable yet ambiguously imbalanced spatial growth due to insufficient data. This study employed time-series satellite imagery from 1988 to 2022, in conjunction with a network model, to elucidate Colombo's uneven urban patterns, while achieving an accuracy of over 80% throughout the period. The results revealed that the metropolis has evolved into a polynuclear city, complicating the identification of centers and their corresponding developmental stages. Nevertheless, the study successfully pinpointed the morphological and functional Grama Niladhari divisions, disclosing the morphological features of centralized dispersion and the functional traits of decentralized concentration. These insights provide significant implications for local government, guiding urban planning initiatives to achieve sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive information on vulnerability patterns is critical for effectively integrating response actions for climate change adaptation and mitigation at the district level. Unfortunately, in developing countries, a large number of local authorities and policymakers are lacking in the requisite information. Moreover, there needs to be more uniformity in the methodology employed for vulnerability analysis at the district level, and incorporating broader assessments at a district level is vital. The spatial evaluation of vulnerability patterns to climate change in 166 districts in the central region of India reveals areas that require immediate attention for adaptation action. The study facilitates a framework for the evaluation of the vulnerability of districts to climate change based on three components (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity) accountable for over 83.5% of the overall data set's cumulative variability. Spatial multicriteria evaluation (SMCE) combines vulnerability components and indicators into a single framework. SMCE is used to develop a criteria tree, normalize indicators, and allocate weights to all elements, facets, and indicators. The study illustrated that high vulnerability was reported in the Jaipur, Raipur, Durg, West-Nimar, Jalgaon, Nashik, Faizabad, and Jaunpur Districts, covering an estimated 39.76% of the entire region. Additionally, roughly 26.50% of the area was determined to possess a significant level of vulnerability. It was observed that 60% of the population falls into moderate to high vulnerability categories in the central region. The study introduces a decision-making process related to climate change and vulnerability that assists policymakers in formulating strategies for climate mitigation and adaptation measures focusing on sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated whether music training led to better length estimation and/or rightward bias by comparing the performance of musicians (pianists) and non-musicians on performance of line sections and line extensions. Methods: One hundred and sixteen participants, among them 62 musicians and 54 non-musicians, participated in the present study, completed line section and line extension task under three conditions: 1/2, 1/3 and 2/3. Results: The mixed repeated measures ANOVA analysis revealed a significant group × condition interaction, that the musicians were more accurate than non-musicians in all the line section tasks and showed no obvious pseudoneglect, while their overall performance on the line extension tasks was comparable to the non-musicians, and only performed more accurately in the 1/2 line extension condition. Conclusion: These findings indicated that there was a dissociation between the effects of music training on line section and line extension. This dissociation does not support the view that music training has a general beneficial effect on line estimation, and provides insight into a potentially important limit on the effects of music training on spatial cognition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing the energy demand guides the future investments of countries. Nuclear power plant (NPP) is an important resource to guide sustainable energy policies in sectoral investments. The first step for the reliable, accurate and energy-demand-based use of this resource is the NPP installation on a suitable site. Therefore, spatial evaluation is required for NPP in terms of planning and management. The purpose of this study was to identify the potential province for NPP installation depending on the energy demand and to select the most suitable sites in this province by using geographic information system integrated with fuzzy analytic hierarchy process from multi-criteria decision making. First of all, the energy demand map for Turkey was produced by considering the demographic and economic criteria. From this map, it was concluded that "Bursa" has a very high energy potential province. Then, the suitability map was created by handling the environmental, social and safety criteria for site selection in Bursa. Results showed that Bursa has a very high suitability site for NPP, which spans 1092 km2 (10%) after deducting the restricted sites, relatively and least suitable sites. Finally, nine candidate sites were selected from among the most suitable sites, and these sites were evaluated in terms of tourism, agricultural activities, sufficient cooling water and area sizes. As a result of the evaluations, two priority sites (CS-7 and CS-9) for NPP were found in Bursa. The examination of NPP site suitability would assist in the country's development and spatial plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of watersheds and sustainable development today requires the most suitable and fastest method of obtaining and integrating information for optimal management and planning. One of the challenges of watershed management in the stage of planning and implementation of remedial and rehabilitation operations is choosing the appropriate and correct location; to have the necessary maximum efficiency and effectiveness, due to the high cost of mechanical operations and the lack of financial resources, select the right place to construct mechanical corrective dams has particular importance. Therefore, the objective of this research was to locate mechanical watershed management operations with a multi-criteria approach using AHP and ANP decision methods and compare the two methods in the geographic information system environment at the Saqezchi-Chay watershed. The research criteria and sub-criteria of 14 variables included soil (depth and texture), climate (type and precipitation amount), land use and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), hydrological factors and soil protection (flow accumulation, sedimentation rate, and curve number), topography (elevation and slope) and economic and social (distance from the village, from loan sources and the road). Expert judgments for weighting were collected through a questionnaire and in a field method with a statistical population of 29 experts and university professors. The results of this research showed that the ANP method had a significant correlation with the AHP method at the level of 95% and with an intensity of 0.839 and by comparing the prioritization of the two methods with Masonry Check Dams structures implemented in the Saqezchi-Chay watershed, it was determined that the ANP method prioritizes with more accuracy and resolution due to its network nature and increasing the range of changes.

AbstractRapid spatial evaluation of seismic disaster after earthquake occurrence is required in disaster emergency rescue management, because of its importance in decreasing casualties and property losses. Among many categories of seismic disaster, evaluation of earthquake-affected population is of great significance to clarify the severity of earthquake disaster. For simple classic regression model, it is difficult to describe the strong nonlinear relationship between multiple influencing factors and earthquake disasters. In present study, an optimized BP neural network model considering spatial characteristic of influencing factors is proposed to evaluate the population distribution affected by earthquake. The correlation between earthquake-affected population and influencing factors is analysed using data of 2013 Ms7.0 Lushan earthquake. Ten influencing factors including elevation, slope angle, population density, per capita GDP, distance to fault, distance to river, NDVI, PGA, PGV, and distance to the epicentre, were classified into environmental and seismic factors. Correlation analysis revealed that per capita GDP and PGA factor had a stronger correlation with the earthquake-affected population. The earthquake-affected population was evaluated using a BP neural network by optimizing training samples considering spatial characteristics of per capita GDP and PGA factors. Different numbers of sample points, instead of a random distribution of sample points, were generated in areas with different value intervals of the influencing factors. The optimized samples improved the convergence speed and generalization capability of neuron network compared to random samples. The trained network was applied to the 2017 Ms7.0 Jiuzhaigou earthquake to verify its prediction accuracy. The MAE of the estimated earthquake-affected populations of different counties under Jiuzhaigou earthquake were 1.276 people/km2 using network model from optimized samples, smaller than the results of network model from random samples and linear regression model. The results indicate that BP neural network, which considers correlation characteristics of factors, has capability to evaluate spatial earthquake disaster.

Copyright of South Architecture / Nanfang Jianzhu is the property of South Architecture Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Promoting the accessibility of basic public service facilities is key to safeguarding and improving people's lives. Effective public service provision is especially important for the sustainable development of less developed regions. Lincang in Yunnan Province is a typical underdeveloped region in China. In parallel, multisource remote sensing data with higher spatial resolution provide more precise results for small-scale regional accessibility assessment. Thus, we use an assessment method to measure and evaluate the accessibility of three types of infrastructure in Lincang based on multisource geospatial data. We further analyze the matching between public service facility accessibility and the socioeconomic attributes of inhabitant clusters and different poverty groups. The results show that the accessibility of educational facilities is currently better than that of health facilities in Lincang and that of sanitation facilities is relatively poor. Public service facility accessibility varies significantly among different types of inhabitant clusters, with better accessibility in inhabitant clusters with high levels of population density, aging, and income. Accessibility to healthcare, education, and sanitation is negatively correlated to varying degrees of poverty levels of poor groups, and the mean values of accessibility to various types of public facilities vary significantly across poor groups. Our findings can help inform policy formulation and provide theoretical support for planning and optimizing the layout of public facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of watersheds and sustainable development today requires the most suitable and fastest method of obtaining and integrating information for optimal management and planning. One of the challenges of watershed management in the stage of planning and implementation of remedial and rehabilitation operations is choosing the appropriate and correct location; to have the necessary maximum efficiency and effectiveness, due to the high cost of mechanical operations and the lack of financial resources, select the right place to construct mechanical corrective dams has particular importance. Therefore, the objective of this research was to locate mechanical watershed management operations with a multi-criteria approach using AHP and ANP decision methods and compare the two methods in the geographic information system environment at the Saqezchi-Chay watershed. The research criteria and sub-criteria of 14 variables included soil (depth and texture), climate (type and precipitation amount), land use and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), hydrological factors and soil protection (flow accumulation, sedimentation rate, and curve number), topography (elevation and slope) and economic and social (distance from the village, from loan sources and the road). Expert judgments for weighting were collected through a questionnaire and in a field method with a statistical population of 29 experts and university professors. The results of this research showed that the ANP method had a significant correlation with the AHP method at the level of 95% and with an intensity of 0.839 and by comparing the prioritization of the two methods with Masonry Check Dams structures implemented in the SaqezchiChay watershed, it was determined that the ANP method prioritizes with more accuracy and resolution due to its network nature and increasing the range of changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, many urban areas in low and middle income countries have experienced major dengue epidemics, and the city of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, is one of them. Understanding models based on land cover and land use in urban areas in relation to vector abundance and possible disease transmission can be a major epidemiological tool in identifying disease incidence and prevalence. Demographic and human behavioral factors can also play a role in determining microenvironments for entomological distribution—which is a major risk factor for epidemicity. Data collected from a cross-sectional entomological survey in the city of Dhaka during the monsoon season of 2012 and two serological surveys—one pre-monsoon and another post-monsoon in 2012—were analyzed in this study. A total of 898 households and 1003 containers with water were inspected, and 1380 Ae. aegypti pupae and 4174 larvae were counted in these containers. All Stegomyia indices were found to be the highest in the central business and residential mixed zone. The odds ratios of risk factors for seroprevalence, including sex, age, self-reported febrile illness during the previous six months, and travel during the last six months, were calculated; age distribution was found to be a highly significant risk factor (p = value < 0.0001). The study offers clear patterns of dengue viral transmission, disease dynamics, and their association with critical spatial dimensions.

In recent years, many urban areas in low and middle income countries have experienced major dengue epidemics, and the city of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, is one of them. Understanding models based on land cover and land use in urban areas in relation to vector abundance and possible disease transmission can be a major epidemiological tool in identifying disease incidence and prevalence. Demographic and human behavioral factors can also play a role in determining microenvironments for entomological distribution—which is a major risk factor for epidemicity. Data collected from a cross-sectional entomological survey in the city of Dhaka during the monsoon season of 2012 and two serological surveys—one pre-monsoon and another post-monsoon in 2012—were analyzed in this study. A total of 898 households and 1003 containers with water were inspected, and 1380 Ae. aegypti pupae and 4174 larvae were counted in these containers. All Stegomyia indices were found to be the highest in the central business and residential mixed zone. The odds ratios of risk factors for seroprevalence, including sex, age, self-reported febrile illness during the previous six months, and travel during the last six months, were calculated; age distribution was found to be a highly significant risk factor (p = value < 0.0001). The study offers clear patterns of dengue viral transmission, disease dynamics, and their association with critical spatial dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Aim This work proposes the application and development of environmental quality indexes for the evaluation of tropical estuarine streams in different spatial scales. The main goal was to understand the biological responses of the ichthyofauna in relation to different spatial indices in each group of streams, according to their predominant land use. Our hypothesis is that the impact on the stream riparian zones and in the land use in adjacent areas to the stream interfere in the structure of the fish assembly. Methods The Physical Habitat Integrity Index (PHI) on the local scale (80.0 m) and the Microbasin Integrity Index (MII) on catchment scale (1.6 km radius) was applied in all streams. In parallel, fish collections with electric fishing equipment were carried out in the 80.0 m reach. With the data from the PHI, MII and ecological estimators (species richness and percentage of Poecilia reticulata), the Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric test and Dunn’s post hoc test were carried out to verify the differences between the groups of land use, followed by a linear and polynomial regression analysis with trend line to show a relationship among indexes used and the biological responses. Results We observed that all streams’ groups presented a high positive correlation among PHI and MII. However, ecological estimators did not respond to changes in land use linearly, but in the form of a parable in a polynomial regression. Conclusions Our main conclusion is that the use of indexes and estimators as tools for environmental assessment is an efficient way to assess the health of the streams. The results also show that the integration of local and spatial indexes reduces the distortions observed in the indexes in isolation.

Promoting the accessibility of basic public service facilities is key to safeguarding and improving people’s lives. Effective public service provision is especially important for the sustainable development of less developed regions. Lincang in Yunnan Province is a typical underdeveloped region in China. In parallel, multisource remote sensing data with higher spatial resolution provide more precise results for small-scale regional accessibility assessment. Thus, we use an assessment method to measure and evaluate the accessibility of three types of infrastructure in Lincang based on multisource geospatial data. We further analyze the matching between public service facility accessibility and the socioeconomic attributes of inhabitant clusters and different poverty groups. The results show that the accessibility of educational facilities is currently better than that of health facilities in Lincang and that of sanitation facilities is relatively poor. Public service facility accessibility varies significantly among different types of inhabitant clusters, with better accessibility in inhabitant clusters with high levels of population density, aging, and income. Accessibility to healthcare, education, and sanitation is negatively correlated to varying degrees of poverty levels of poor groups, and the mean values of accessibility to various types of public facilities vary significantly across poor groups. Our findings can help inform policy formulation and provide theoretical support for planning and optimizing the layout of public facilities.

COVID-19 has forced people to spend more time indoors due to lockdown and social distancing, and clients demand personalized indoor spaces designed to increase individual satisfaction indoors. Consequently, various fourth industrial revolution technologies have been applied to support construction spaces to satisfy those clients lacking architectural knowledge and experience by reflecting individual tendencies and perceptions to build personalized indoor spaces. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how users evaluate the space according to behaviors and emotions felt in the space. A systematic review is performed to integrate significant categories from multiple disciplines to investigate the various decision-making aspects. In this study, 124 papers were selected, applying the PRISMA checklist to conduct a systematic literature review with scientometric analysis to propose a conceptual framework by reflecting the research trend related to indoor space decision-making. Accordingly, research on indoor space decision-making is increasing with pursuing convergence with various fields of study. The research is focused on the following four clusters: indoor space components, human tendencies, technology, and spatial evaluation. The framework proposed by integrating these trends could be utilized by clients as a practical tool to support people-centered indoor space decision-making post-COVID-19. Moreover, a framework should be developed to expand effectiveness in indoor spaces through convergence and collaboration research with psychology, physiology, and the medical field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After decades of development, China’s urban renewal is facing the problems of inequality and intolerance, neglecting vulnerable groups and triggering gentrification. These problems are rarely quantified and draw limited public concerns. To promote an inclusive urban development, we proposed a framework for the inclusive evaluation of urban renewal spaces, thus increasing the understanding of inclusive urban renewal. An evaluation method based on the theory of inclusive development was proposed, and it includes two steps. First, the evaluation index system of inclusive development at the community scale was created, including 24 indicators from five aspects: cognitive well-being, vulnerable groups, affordable public service facilities, economic agency, and environmental factors. Second, a combination of the CRITIC-TOPSIS method and k-means algorithm was used to grade and classify the inclusive development of the community. In this study, multisource data were used to measure the inclusiveness of communities in the core area of Wuhan’s inner city. The results show that the renewed communities are more inclusive than the unrenewed communities; however, even in the more inclusive and renewed communities, a lack of protection for vulnerable groups and a certain level of gentrification still exists.

Background: This study investigated whether music training led to better length estimation and/or rightward bias by comparing the performance of musicians (pianists) and non-musicians on performance of line sections and line extensions., Methods: One hundred and sixteen participants, among them 62 musicians and 54 non-musicians, participated in the present study, completed line section and line extension task under three conditions: 1/2, 1/3 and 2/3., Results: The mixed repeated measures ANOVA analysis revealed a significant group × condition interaction, that the musicians were more accurate than non-musicians in all the line section tasks and showed no obvious pseudoneglect, while their overall performance on the line extension tasks was comparable to the non-musicians, and only performed more accurately in the 1/2 line extension condition., Conclusion: These findings indicated that there was a dissociation between the effects of music training on line section and line extension. This dissociation does not support the view that music training has a general beneficial effect on line estimation, and provides insight into a potentially important limit on the effects of music training on spatial cognition., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Pei, Xu, He, Liu, Bai, Kwok, Li and Wang.)

Energy is a sector that has a direct impact on quality of life and economic growth. The production and use of energy satisfies human needs, but also gives rise to a host of adverse environmental pressures, such as greenhouse gas emissions, air and water pollution, waste generation and many other negative consequences. Our paper presents a cross-country comparison of decoupling trends in order to assess the impact of economic growth on energy consumption and production of greenhouse gas emissions. The issue of using renewable energy sources in EU countries is also taken into consideration. Decoupling analysis is performed for the time period 2008 and 2016. The results of analysis suggest that resource decoupling (energy consumption) and impact decoupling (GHG emissions) of economic growth (measured in GDP) occur in most observed partial variables, which can be considered as a positive trend. On the other hand, an increased share of renewables in energy production couples in most countries with economic growth, which indicates the positive effect referring to the third-stage of Environmental Kuznets Curve, where the demand for environmental protection tends to increase, leading to a development path characterized by both economic growth and environmental quality improvements. The results of the analysis point to spatial randomness both within the EU and at the country level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal learning spaces play a significant role in enriching student experiences in learning environments. Such spaces are becoming more common, resulting in a change to the spatial configuration of built environments in higher education. However, previous research lacks methods to evaluate the influence of the spatial design characteristics of informal learning spaces on student preferences and their activities within. This paper aims to tease out the spatial design characteristics of informal learning spaces to examine how they shape students’ preferences in terms of their use of the spaces and what they do within them. The two case studies selected for this study, both in the UK, are the Diamond at the University of Sheffield, and the Newton at Nottingham Trent University. A mixed-methods study is applied, including questionnaires, observation, interviews, and focus groups. Six significant design characteristics (comfort, flexibility, functionality, spatial hierarchy, openness, and other support facilities) that influence student use of informal learning environments are identified. These can be used to inform future design strategies for other informal learning spaces in higher education.

Disturbance events play an important role in ecosystem services management and species biodiversity. In this sense, species biodiversity may constitute a large proportion of the total ecosystem value, mainly in natural protected areas. The present research proposes a methodology for the economic valuation of flagship species; the value of charismatic species was estimated using two complementary approaches based on recovery programs and contingent valuation method (CVM). While recovery programs approach is related to government expenditure, CVM is associated with survey results according to the society's willingness to pay. There are significant differences between both approaches as flagship species are highly valued by the society. In this sense, a difference of 43.75% on the species value can be found depending on the scenario of CVM (all respondents or only affirmative respondents). Our research was done on the integration of economic tools and wildfire severity of two burned areas in order to evaluate the effects caused in their habitat and, as a consequence, in the food chain. The results obtained from both the studied areas emphasized the importance of wildfire impacts on flagship species (209,619.08–445,495.88 € from Doñana wildfire and 634.68–5792.98 € from Segura wildfire) which are often omitted in valuation reports. The use of Geographic Information Systems helps to identify flagship species impacts per unit area (74.89–159.17 €/ha from Doñana wildfire and 0.76–6.98 €/ha from Segura wildfire) and to prioritize restoration activities on the most susceptible areas. This methodology could be extrapolated to any territory and spatial resolution based on the revision of the questionnaires regarding flagship species. The availability of cartography of flagship species´ susceptibility could play a critical role in budget optimization and the decision-making process on restoration planning. Unlabelled Image • Flagship species are highly identified and valued by the society. • Our results suggest an emotional identification with certain species. • Fire impacts are estimated as animal mortality and home range deterioration. • Flagship species play a critical role in fire restoration planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction : Given its low and sparse precipitation both in spatial and temporal scales, Iran is nestled in an arid and semiarid part of the world. On the other hand, because of population growth, urbanization and the development of agriculture and industry sector is frequently encountered with increasing water demand. The increasing trend of water demand will widen the gap between water supply and demand in the future. This, in turn, necessitates urgent attention to the fundamentals of economic planning and allocation of water resources. Considering the limited resources and the declining water table and salinization of groundwater, especially in semi-arid areas forces us to exploit surface waters. When we evaluate the various methods of collecting rainwater, surface water that is the outcome of rainfall-runoff responses in a basin, is found to be a potential source of water and it can be useful to meet some of our water demand if managed properly. Water shortages in arid areas are critical, serious and persistent. Thus, water harvesting is an effective and economic goal. The most important step in the implementation of rain water harvesting systems is proper site selection that could cause significant savings in time and cost. In this study the potential of surface waters in the Aq Emam catchment in the east Golestan province was evaluated. The purpose of this study is to provide a framework for locating areas with water harvesting potential. Materials and Methods: For spatial evaluation of potential runoff, first, the amount of runoff is calculated using curve number and runoff potential maps were prepared with three classes: namely, the potential for low, medium and high levels. Finally, to identify suitable areas for rain water harvesting, rainfall maps, soil texture, slope and land use were weighted and multiplied based on their importance in order to determine the appropriate areas to collect runoff Results and Discussion : The results of runoff production potential indicated that May and June accounted for the highest runoff and it can be inferred from these results that both of these months are characterized with storms which was confirmed by interviewing local residents and as range-land covers the largest land use in the basin as well as low vegetation density in the spring and summer due to overgrazing, much more runoff has been produced which is in line with the studies conducted by the Department of Natural Resources of the Golestan province in Aq Emam watershed (2003) as well as findings of Eftekhari et al. The results showed that the highest areas of the sub watershed 8, and 3 were suitable for rain water harvesting. Thus, the appropriate areas for rain water harvesting in the sub watersheds do not have a uniform spatial distribution according to the results. It can be argued that these sub basins are characterized by 4 criteria to be appropriate for rain water harvesting, which is in confirmation with Miliniai et al. Also according to the results, the areas suitable for rainwater harvesting in each sub-basin have heterogeneous spatial distribution as confirmed by the results of Eftekhari and Jin et al. Given the final map from integrating data layers, it was found that the central part of the study area has a good potential for rainwater harvesting and as results show, suitable area for water harvesting in the watershed coincides with range-lands that have a moderate crown cover as confirmed by the results reported by Tabatabaii et al. Conclusion: Finally it can be said that spatial evaluation and identification of proper areas for rain water harvesting is an important and necessary step in the application of rain water harvesting systems. Keywords: Surface water harvesting, Spatial evaluation, Sub watersheds priority, GIS, SCS

The paper goal is to analyze GIS opportunities as constructive pillar for student performance. The presented methodology aims to explain spatial evaluation techniques through geo-tools, which could turn into a compre-hensive strategy for student education. The paper aims to emphasize the vigor influence visual impact release on error checking. The analyses aim to create an optimized methodology toward a sustainable development process. Spatial tools as executable units and geo-databases as storage units are the future of modern technologies whose embracement leads the analyst into a higher level of control. Due to vast implementation in multiple fields and life routines GIS technology comes as an attractive discipline toward students’ curiosity, easily to be absorbed and subject to further development.

The systematic error between the measured electron temperature $T_{e,m}$ and the real electron temperature $T_{e}$ caused by the spatial separation of a triple probe is introduced. The detailed analysis of the systematic error is presented and the relation between $T_{e,m}$ and $T_{e}$ is derived. By comparing the fluctuation of the measured temperature $| \tilde {T}_{e,m}|$ and the real temperature fluctuation $| \tilde {T}_{e}|$ , we find that $| \tilde {T}_{e,m} |\ge | \tilde {T}_{e}|$. In addition, electron temperature $T_{e}$ , density $n_{e}$ , floating potential $V_{f}$ , and their fluctuation profiles are measured at the edge of HL-2A tokamak with a reciprocating probe system. We experimentally verified that the amplitude of floating potential fluctuation $| \tilde {V}_{f} |$ is about 3 ~ 4 times larger than that of $\boldsymbol {\alpha }| \tilde {T}_{e,m} |$ ; in this condition, we can use the floating potential fluctuation $\tilde {V}_{f}$ to stand for the plasma potential fluctuation $\tilde {V}_{p}$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many real-world spatially related problems, including river-basin planning and management, give rise to geographical information system based decision making, since the performance of spatial policy alternatives were traditionally and are still often represented by thematic maps. Advanced technologies and approaches, such as geographical information systems (GIS), offer a unique opportunity to tackle spatial problems traditionally associated with more efficient and effective data collection, analysis, and alternative evaluation. This paper discusses the advantages and challenges of the use of digital spatial data and geographical information systems in river basis management. Spatial data on social, environmental and other spatial conditions for the study area of 451.77 km2, the Slovenian part of the Sotla river basin, are used to study the GIS capabilities of supporting spatial decisions in the framework of river basin management.

Tourism is extremely interacted with the environment. Taking into account that tourism uses the space and related resources, it seems right to pay for the damages caused to the environment. This is the basis of the tourist spatial eco rent. The paper evaluates the space and resources used by tourism as the basis for the introduction of the tourism eco-rent in the area of Makarska Riviera, a traditional tourism destination. It is divided into three main spatial units: urban areas, bathing zone (beaches), Biokovo Park of Nature. According to natural and geographical reasoning, a number of zones with different spatial values within each spatial unit has been identified. Each unit, i.e. zone was evaluated according to various criteria relevant to the evaluation of space for tourism and tourism development purposes. Having ranked zones within each unit, using the multiriteria ranking method PROMETHEE II, comparative analysis of the obtained results was carried out as well.

The "state-of-the-art" of the present global European situationis in desperate need for a new approach to development ofurban and rural environment with an interdisciplinary approach,when introducing the elements of transport infrastructureand transport infrastructure landscape into space and environment.In order to reach a decision regarding the location of a certaintransport logistic terminal some constraints (technical andtechnological as well as financial) should be considered. Aspart of the process trying to respond to these constraints, associatedprimarily with the traffic conditions at the appointed networklocations, a careful evaluation in respect to cargo flowsand infrastructure connections as well as spatial planningshould be performed.M01phological indicators, which directly and indirectly affectthe structure and the form of the transport infrastructure elements- transport logistic terminals, are extracted and presentedin the paper. At this point, the paper concludes that thelaying down and the evaluation of transport infrastructure elementsare based on two categories of morphological elements:Constructed morphological elements (all constntctionsand their elements), andNatural morphological elements (topography, climate, vegetation,etc.).The presented spatial methodology deals with the interactionsbetween the constructed and natural morphological elements- the quality and the characteristics of the design areadded to both groups.Findings and projections acquired on the basis of a spatialevaluation and transport logistic analysis constitute, togetherwith financial-economic assumptions, the basis for elaboratinga business plan - a significant element in the decision-makingprocess regarding the development of a transport logistic terminal.

Copyright of Uni-Pluri/Versidad is the property of Universidad de Antioquia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aim Species distribution models ( SDMs) are increasingly used to address numerous questions in ecology, biogeography, conservation biology and evolution. Surprisingly, the crucial step of selecting the most relevant variables has received little attention, despite its direct implications for model transferability and uncertainty. Here, we aim to address this with a continent-wide, evaluation of which climate predictors provided the most accurate SDMs for bird distributions. Location Conterminous United States. Methods For 243 species, we used yearly data since 1971 (from the North American Breeding Bird Survey) to run SDMs (six different algorithms) with combinations of six relatively uncorrelated climate predictors (selected from 22 widely used climate variables). We then estimated the importance of each predictor - both spatially and over a 40-year time period - by comparing the accuracy of the model obtained with or without a given predictor. Results Three temperature-related variables (annual potential evapotranspiration, mean annual temperature and growing degree days) produced significantly more accurate SDMs than any other predictors. Among precipitation predictors, annual precipitation provided the most accurate results. Albeit only rarely used in SDMs, the moisture index performed similarly strongly. Interestingly, predictors that summarize average annual climate produced more accurate distributions than seasonal predictors, despite distinct seasonal movements in most species considered. Encouragingly, spatial and temporal (over 40 years) evaluation of variables yielded very similar results. Main conclusions The approach presented here allowed us to identify the statistically most relevant predictors for birds in the USA and can be applied to other taxa and/or in different parts of the world. Appropriately selecting the most relevant predictors of species distributions at large spatial scale is vital to identifying ecologically meaningful relationships that provide the most accurate predictions under climate change or biological invasions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Image fusion is a process to obtain new images containing more information by combining images obtained same or different sensors. With most of the earth observation satellites, high spatial resolution panchromatic images and low spatial resolution multispectral images are obtained. As an example of image fusion 'pan sharpening' is a process of combining of high spatial resolution panchromatic images and low spatial resolution multispectral images. At the end of the fusion process both high spatial and spectral resolution new images are obtained. In this study, panchromatic and multispectral images gathered from Ikonos were used. Panchromatic and multispectral images belonging to the same sensor were combined by using different image fusion methods. As pan sharpening methods Brovey transform, Modified IHS, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Wavelet PC transform and Wavelet A Trous transformation methods were used. Quality of fused products was evaluated from the point of view of both visual and statistical criteria. While wavelet based methods are succesfull in terms of protection of spectral quality of original multispectral images, the colorbased and statistical methods are giving better results within the improvement of spatial content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of ten single indices mainly reflecting the ecological and aesthetic quality of agricultural landscape, including ecosystem function, naturalness, openness and diversity, contamination probability, and orderliness were selected, their different weights were given based on field survey and expert system, and an integrated evaluation index system of agricultural landscape quality was constructed. In the meantime, the land use data provided by GIS and the remote sensing data of vegetation index were used to evaluate the Beijing agricultural landscape quality and its spatial variation. There was a great spatial variation in the agricultural landscape quality of Beijing, being worse at the edges of urban area and towns, but better in suburbs. The agricultural landscape quality was mainly related to topography and human activity. To construct a large-scale integrated index system based on remote sensing data and landscape indices would have significance in evaluating the spatial variation of agricultural landscape quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey with an area of around 5750km2 and population of around 10.58M (2000). The population is increasing because of mass immigration. Planned and unplanned housing are increasing while green areas are decreasing in area. Rapid, uncontrolled and illegal urbanization accompanied by insufficient infrastructure has caused degradation of forest, water basin and barren lands in the metropolitan area, especially within the past two decades. The study includes taking administrative planning decisions about the development of urban sustainability in the metropolitan area of Istanbul, producing rationalist solutions to the problems in environmental and natural resources, and conservation of small-scale (historical, tourist, residential, industrial, etc.) specific urban areas. By the help of this study, settlement suitability analyses have been achieved according to the natural thresholds of the area. Additionally, some kinds of formations, which may limit the development of the metropolitan area of Istanbul, such as natural structures, natural structure, ecological corridors and natural hazard areas, have been defined and developed model on the ArcGIS 9.1 platform. In the light of the policies of the European Union about sustainable cities, environmental impact assessments and sustainability policies have been determined for both the existing settlements and sustainable development areas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aim of the present study is to show that the sensorimotor system makes a differential use of visual and internal (proprioception and efferent copy) signals when evaluating either the spatial or the dynamical components of our own motor response carried out under a remote visual feedback. Subjects were required to monitor target-directed pointings from the images furnished by a video camera overhanging the workspace. By rotating the camera, the orientation of the movement perceived on the screen was either changed by 45° (visual bias) or maintained in conformity with the actual trajectory (0°). In either condition, after completing twenty pointings, participants had to evaluate their visuomotor performance in two non visual testing: They were both asked to reach the target in a single movement (evaluation of “how to reach the target”), and to evaluate the mapping of the spatial layout where they acted (evaluations of “where the starting position was and, what movement direction was”). Results revealed that though motor performance in the 45° conditions was adapted to the visuomotor conflict, participants’ evaluation of the spatial aspect of the performance was affected by the biased visual information. A different pattern was revealed for the evaluation of “how” the target was reached which was not affected by the visual bias. Thus, it is suggested that segregated processing of visual and kinesthetic information occurs depending upon the dimension of the performance that is judged. Visual information prevails when identifying the spatial context of a motor act whereas proprioception and/or efferent copy related signals are privileged when evaluating the dynamical component of the response. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Spacial decision support systems (SDSS) are popular tools in decision-making processes. Despite their popularity there are many systema that are never or hardly used. The present study searches for explanations or reasons for success or failure of such tools by comparing five representative examples of SDSS for coastal zone and water management. The findings of the comparison show, amongst others, that SDSS only provide limited or no support for analysing and evaluating the output generated by SDSS. Also, no or poor support for spatial evaluation is offered which might be one of the reasons why some SDSS are not used. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Wetlands provide many important goods and services to human societies, and generate nonuse values as well. Wetlands are also very sensitive ecosystems that are subject to much stress from human activities. Reducing the stress on wetlands requires a spatial matching between physical planning, hydrological and ecological processes, and economic activities. Spatially integrated modelling and evaluation can support this. The present study has developed a triple layer model that integrates information and concepts from social and natural sciences to address the analysis and evaluation of land-use scenarios for a wetlands area in the Netherlands, the Vecht area. This is the floodplain of river Vecht, located in the centre of the Netherlands. The study has resulted in a set of linked spatial hydrological, ecological and economic models, formulated at the level of grids and polders. The main activities incorporated in the system of models are housing, infrastructure, agriculture, recreation and nature conservation. The formulation of alternative development scenarios is dominated by land use and land cover options that are consistent with the stimulation of agriculture, nature or recreation. Two aggregate performance indicators have been constructed from model output, namely net present value of changes and environmental quality. The spatial characteristics of these indicators are retained in a spatial evaluation that ranks scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational allocation of spatial resources is an important factor to ensure the sustainable development of rural areas, and effective pre-emptive spatial evaluation is the prerequisite for identifying the predicament of rural resource allocation. Multi-criteria decision-making analysis has advantages in solving multi-attribute and multi-objective decision-making problems, and has been used in sustainability evaluation research in various disciplines in recent years. Previous studies have proved the value of spatial evaluation using multi-criteria decision analysis in guiding rural incremental development and inventory updates, but systematic reviews of the previous literature from a multidisciplinary perspective and studies of the implementation steps of the evaluation framework are lacking. In the current paper, the research is reviewed from the two levels of quantitative statistics and research content, and through vertical and horizontal comparisons based on three common operating procedures: standard formulation, weight distribution, and ranking and verification. Through the results, the application status and characteristics of the MCDA method in related research are determined, and five research foci in the future are proposed.

Informal learning spaces play a significant role in enriching student experiences in learning environments. Such spaces are becoming more common, resulting in a change to the spatial configuration of built environments in higher education. However, previous research lacks methods to evaluate the influence of the spatial design characteristics of informal learning spaces on student preferences and their activities within. This paper aims to tease out the spatial design characteristics of informal learning spaces to examine how they shape students' preferences in terms of their use of the spaces and what they do within them. The two case studies selected for this study, both in the UK, are the Diamond at the University of Sheffield, and the Newton at Nottingham Trent University. A mixed-methods study is applied, including questionnaires, observation, interviews, and focus groups. Six significant design characteristics (comfort, flexibility, functionality, spatial hierarchy, openness, and other support facilities) that influence student use of informal learning environments are identified. These can be used to inform future design strategies for other informal learning spaces in higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]